compared with Amazon – see here http://www.pinterandmartin.com/product/The_Patient_Paradox%3A_Why_sexed_up_medicine_is_bad_for_your_health_978-1-78066-000-4 (plus, Pinter and Martin get to reinvest more in their next titles.)

is here. Here’s an advert from their sponsors, Marks and Spencers. You’ll note that it says “My husband had prostate cancer. He had no signs or symptoms. How were we going to cope?” This sounds suspiciously like screening (although it may mean that he had no prostate signs or symptoms, but e.g. metastatic symptoms. I […]

about whether it matters if your doctor smokes or is overweight. … Listen again is here. I note that Mark Porter says this is a soapbox – no way! The references I used are here, if anyone’s interested. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.d8041 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/8861843?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/2/369.abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/8861843?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18425860 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00821.x/abstract;jsessionid=CAC4

Clare was great. Anna Soubry was not. Andrew Neil: Anna Soubry’s boss, Simon Burns, he claims you don’t represent the views of GPs up and down the country in opposing these health reforms. What do you say to that? Clare Gerada: I think I do, I represent 44,000 GPs, of which over 90%, when we’ve […]

I am cringing rather, but I’ve written a book, and I hope that it will a useful contribution to the debate about the limits of medicine and what doctors are for. The book covers the making of well people into patients for little gain and often harm (screening), what is normal and not, the perverse […]

Am rather concerned by the stipulation that all over 65s should have a vitamin D supplement when the evidence is rather less clear: see Cochrane, who are also clear about risk of harms. Ironic, given how few commercial skin products are SPF- free. Our reference: CEM/CMO/2012/04 Gateway reference: 17193 To: General Practitioners Practice Nurses Health […]

What’s happening in the consulting room – it’s not just about you, but the silent politician on my shoulder. Column on political incentives to GPs.

  This is in reply to David Colquhoun after a twitter discussion.  @david_colquhounhas signed a petition calling for ECT to be banned. I think this is a very bad idea. First off: ECT has been overused and badly used in the past. I don’t think it should be used where a patient doesn’t consent to […]

V pleased to be talking at Glasgow Skeptics in the pub on Monday 5th March. Currently scanning in the most irritating adverts for screening tests you just don’t need. Joy!